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Ten days in Europe is a dream getaway for many people. But packing for a 10-day trip can often feel more like a nightmare. Although we travel to get away from it all, many of us feel that we have to take everything we own when we travel. Lightening your load by packing smartly can ensure that you have everything you need without getting bogged down by your baggage.

Itinerary

The first step to packing smartly for a trip of any length is to determine what you will be doing. Take an honest look at your itinerary and what you will need to be prepared. Will you be staying in one place or changing hotels frequently? Will you be spending your days in museums in Paris or football matches in Glasgow? Best intentions aside, are you really going to use the hotel gym every day or can you save room and skip packing the gym clothes and sneakers?

Electronics

Many hotels have irons and hair dryers, so you can skip packing those. For electronics that you do need to bring, like laptops, camera and phone chargers, and hair curlers or straighteners, make sure that they are dual voltage. If not you will need an electric converter. You will need an adapter because plugs in other countries have different pin configurations. Additionally, plugs are different in mainland Europe versus Ireland and the United Kingdom, and Switzerland is slightly different from all. So if your travels through Europe includes stops in Reykjavik, London, Zurich and Milan, make sure you have converters that work in each place. Also think about extra batteries and data cards for digital cameras or film for a non-digital camera.

Local Dress and Weather

Research local dress conventions in the places where you will be traveling. In Europe as a whole people are less likely to wear shorts, and in some churches and cathedrals tourists are still expected to be modestly covered up. Baseball caps and fanny packs will mark you as a tourist anywhere. If you don&#039;t want to stand out, do your homework. Also look into the current weather of where you will be traveling so you pack the appropriate attire. Even if the weather is warm, pack a sweater or wrap for cool evenings and airplane cabins.

Color Coordination

Choosing a color scheme for the entire trip allows you to to do more with less. Every piece of clothing that you bring should mix and match with multiple other items. Think of it as Garanimals for grown-ups. A neutral base color scheme, like black, navy, brown or gray, is easy to build on, and darker colors are less likely to show wrinkles and the general wear and tear of the road. A general rule of thumb for deciding how much to pack for 10 days is: undergarments and socks for each day, no more than three pairs of shoes (including the ones you are wearing onto the plane), one bottom for every two or three days of the trip, six tops, one jacket or sweater, one dressy outfit, and then some well chosen extras like accessories or a bathing suit.

Toiletries

Remember the 3-1-1 rule if you are looking to carry-on your toiletries. All that is allowed is a single 1-qt., clear, re-sealable bag filled with 3-oz. bottles for each passenger. If you are checking your bag you can pack larger bottles and containers, but decide whether you really need to for 10 days. Will your hotel have shampoo and conditioner? Do you really need a big tube of toothpaste? You might find that you can get by with less.

Packing

Once you&#039;ve chosen what you are going to take, figuring out how to pack it should be easy. It&#039;s a matter of personal preference. Rolling your clothes can save a remarkable amount of space in the suitcase, while simply layering your clothing can mean fewer wrinkles. Don&#039;t forget to save room for souvenirs.

References

About the Author

Author and journalist Elle McLaughlin has been writing about travel and lifestyle topics for magazines since 1994. Always in pursuit of a good story, she has harvested agave in Mexico, made cheese in Vermont and picked grapes in New Zealand. McLaughlin attended the City University of New York, majoring in history and minoring in international relations.

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